Abstract The main goal of the Physical Virology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) is to facilitate interdisciplinary interactions and collaborations that will advance the fields of virology and nano-medicine by overcoming traditional boundaries between relevant disciplines. Bursts of progress in biomedical research are often the result of bringing conceptual and experimental tools from various disciplines to bear on a problem of common interest, in this case the structure, physical properties, and utility of viruses and virus-like self-assembled systems. While this topic is of interest to physicists, chemists, and biologists alike, scientists from these diverse fields rarely attend the same meeting. Very often, scientists in one discipline are simply unaware of the barriers limiting progress in another. From its inception in 2009, the Physical Virology GRC has been a focal meeting for a growing community of researchers that span these fields, but have common interests in the biology, chemistry, and nanotechnology of viruses and virus-inspired structures. Our goals are as follows. Assemble an outstanding program of leading investigators, students, and postdocs that is internationally and socially diverse in the field of physical virology, under the format of GRC gatherings. NIH support is essential to raising sufficient funds to allow scientists, both junior and senior, from distant locations to attend the conference. The extended free time at the GRC provides a broad opportunity to explore collaboration. For example, mixing researchers with interests in virology and nanotechnology has already opened opportunities to generate new therapeutic approaches and new materials. The GRC format encourages a dialectic approach to scientific talks. The prerequisite for such a dialog is a sustained effort to communicate research across scientific boundaries. A major theme is to introduce students and postdocs to physical virology as an interdisciplinary field, and to the key principal investigators in the field. The Gordon Research seminar preceding the GRC will allow students to freely exchange ideas in a non-intimidating environment. A specific goal of funding for this meeting is to support attendance of students, postdocs, women and under-represented minorities. The GRC schedule has been specifically adapted to include poster talks in every session to encourage active participation of these young scientists. PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) Page Continuation Format Page